47. Short Mistbelt Grassland

Synonym:

Natal Mistbelt Ngongoniveld (A45).

Statistics:

4 819 km²; ± 89% transformed; 2.37% conserved.

Locality & Physical Geography:

This grassland occurs from Greytown in the north to Ixopo in the south, in the KwaZulu-Natal Mistbelt region. The altitude ranges from 900 to 1 400 m.

Climate:

Rainfall is 900 to 1 200 mm per year, occurring in summer. Temperatures vary between -2°C and 38°C, with an average of 17°C.

Geology & Soil:

Soils are characterised by having yellow or red apedal subsoils, whereas topsoils tend to be high in organic matter and free-draining. The high rainfall results in the soils being dystrophic.

Vegetation:

The vegetation is dense Redgrass Themeda-dominated grassland, with Wild Oatgrass Monocymbium ceresiiforme, Giant Speargrass Trachypogon spicatus, Hairy Tridentgrass Tristachya leucothrix, Eragrostis racemosa and Diheteropogon amplectens prominent. However, large areas have been disturbed by intensive agriculture, and here Ngongoni Bristlegrass Aristida junciformis is dominant.

Key Environmental Parameters:

Not known, but forest patches occur scattered throughout the area.

Economic Uses:

Large areas have been afforested with, or have been invaded by, the exotics Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii and Silver Wattle A. dealbata.

Conservation Status:

Poorly conserved.

Key Reference:

Acocks (1 988).

Authors:

Ed Granger & George Bredenkamp.